The Philippine president’s policy has killed thousands, yet he remains popular

On 5th November 2016, Rolando Espinosa, mayor of the central Philippines town of Albuera, was shot dead in his jail cell. A prisoner in an adjacent cell suffered the same fate. A police statement claimed both had died in a “shootout” with officers searching the jail.A few months earlier, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte had read out Espinosa’s name on television, along with those of 158 other public officials and judges, accusing them all of involvement in the drugs trade. The 71-year-old Duterte took office last June vowing to wage a “war on drugs”; since then, at least 7,000 people have been killed. Most victims have been poor slum dwellers, unknown beyond their immediate circle. Espinosa’s was one of the few individual names to make the headlines.

Two of Espinosa’s bodyguards had been caught in a drug bust but he had denied any involvement, claiming instead that his son was a drug lord. In mid-March, a Philippines Senate investigation concluded that Espinosa had been killed in “a systematic clean up” operation by police officers to hide their own involvement in the drugs trade. It found that the prison guards had been disarmed and made to kneel against the wall while police officers carried out a “search” of the two cells.

YOU'VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days. But don't worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we'll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we'll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time

Email

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.

Leave a comment

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.

This Month's Magazine

What are the big ideas that will shape our world in 2018? From sex to politics, our future issue looks ahead to how our lives will change. Plus: Christmas dinners, Orwell, and the Biblical origins of harassment.

Prospect was originally founded by Editor David Goodhart and Publisher Derek Coombs, as a home for intelligent debate. The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities. The aim is to tackle the big challenges confronting society, through rigorous thinking and fine writing.

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’swebsite for FREE in the next 30 days.. PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.